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NE Burled Walnut or Mahogany Dial Blank??

Started by Doug Rose, June 02, 2018, 10:15:30 PM

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Doug Rose

Did NE make one? I have only seen painted brown blanks that really do not match....thanks ....Doug
Kidphone

paul-f

We must look in the same places. The blanks I remember are all painted stamped metal.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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Doug Rose

Kidphone

Ktownphoneco

Officially, the apparatus blank for the walnut set has a number of "N50J-50", and the finish is stated as "walnut bronze".    See attached photo of a page out of Northern's T-6 Second Edition telephone catalog.    Click twice to enlarge.

Jeff Lamb

Butch Harlow

Last weekend on the ATCA facebook page somebody posted a find of multiple burled walnut #2 Uniphones. The one pictured has the apparatus blank. It is painted brown as well. The discussion of the blank was more about the many different kinds of dials installed on these phones and that the blank was somewhat of a rare find.
Butch Harlow

Ktownphoneco

The walnut Uniphones weren't made in the same numbers as the black sets, and I would have to assume that the factory produced a lesser number of the "walnut bronze" apparatus blanks.   I have "one" factory "walnut bronze" blank, and one painted with brown paint, and the difference is quite obvious.   The true factory walnut bronze apparatus blanks for the walnut Uniphones aren't all that common, but the painted brown ones are more common.

Jeff

paul-f

Quote from: Ktownphoneco on June 03, 2018, 10:19:42 AM
I have "one" factory "walnut bronze" blank, and one painted with brown paint, and the difference is quite obvious. 

Thanks, Jeff.

Can you post a side-by-side photo so we can see the obvious difference?
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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AE_Collector

So the Brown painted blanks likely have black paint underneath the brown paint? Modified blanks for black Bakelite Uniphones. Would these be identical to blanks for 302's?

Terry

Ktownphoneco

Here is a photo of 3 model 50 apparatus blanks, showing the factory finished black version, a factory black version painted brown, and a factory finished "walnut bronze" color.    Northern used the model 50 apparatus blanks for covering the dial openings on manual Uniphones.       The 302 sets used a different type of apparatus blank that sat in the dial cavity as would an actual dial.
Quite often when telcos needed an apparatus blank for a walnut Uniphone, and the proper factory walnut bronze wasn't available, they painted a black one brown and installed it.

As you can see in the attached picture, it's quite obvious that the center blank was originally black, and has been painted brown.    The factory finished walnut bronze blank on the right has a nicer, more uniform finish.   It's not very apparent in the picture, but the finish actually appears to have some very fine bronze particles in the brown finish.

As noted in the picture, Western Electric also used the model 50 apparatus blanks, but I have no idea as to which telephone types they were used on.   Click on the picture to enlarge.

Jeff
 

Doug Rose

Thanks Jeff ...great information. I have never seen the Walnut Bronze. I will keep an eye out for one....many thanks....Doug
Kidphone

Ktownphoneco